A New Life
by ninjashogun
Summary: Kenji Hiraku was sentenced to death. Somehow he ends up at Youkai Academy. What awaits him there?  Sorry if the summary is lacking, I couldn't think of a good way to summarize the plot without giving it away . OC X Kokoa S. May become "M" rated.
1. The First Visit

I do not own Rosario Vampire. My OC was created entirely from my own ideas (with suggestions from Silver15), and any resemblance to another OC or actual anime character is coincidental.

* * *

It looked and felt like an exceptionally enjoyable summer day. The sun was out, there was a slight breeze, and the temperature was neither too hot nor too cold. The clouds were not stormy, but the fluffy white that one would expect from the perfect day. "What great weather," Kenji Hiraku quietly observed as he stood on a cliff overlooking what appeared to be a sea. However, there was one thing bothering him about the scene that he was taking in: the sea was red. "Oh well, probably just a red algae problem," he thought to himself.

After a while he turned around so as to explore his other surroundings, and he realized that there was an ominous forest not too far from where he stood. The trees were black and, at least from what he could tell, dead. "A sea with a red algae outbreak and a forest that has been destroyed by a fire? This is an interesting place indeed!" Kenji mused as he went to take a stroll through the forest that he'd just noticed. The further he went into the forest, the more suspicious the place became. There were tombstones along the path he was taking at various intervals, and there were dozens of crows with red eyes lining the branches of the trees. Kenji noted that normal crows would likely have flown away as he drew close to them, but these birds did not even seem aware of his presence. He disregarded the crows and continued along the path, hoping to find even more intriguing things in this strange world.

Not long after leaving the crows behind, Kenji noticed two towering figures looming over the tree line. He imagined that the towers were very ornate, but his view of the structures was severely limited and he could not make out any architectural detail on the towers. It was as if trying to view the building through extremely dense fog. The path seemed to lead straight towards the structure so Kenji continued down it in order to further investigate. It was not long before the air became heavy: almost like he would suffocate if he got any closer. The feeling became so intense that Kenji immediately stopped and sat on a gravestone on the side of the path while thinking about the best course of action.

Just then, Kenji was startled awake.

"Wake up, you useless fool!" the guard shouted. "I've got news for you!"

Kenji inwardly laughed. "What a dream to be having in a place such as this," he thought. To address the guard, he simply said "News, sir?"

"Yes, fool: news! Your execution has been moved to two days from today!" The guard let out a loud, boisterous laugh. Clearly, he thought that an execution was some sort of an entertaining event.

"This is probably the same thrill for him as a historical sports game is to an avid fan" Kenji thought as he sighed. "If only I had some sort of superpower, I could escape and disappear until everything has been forgotten." He quickly pushed the thought out of his head. Why was he thinking of this now? Superpowers were not real. They were myths: just like vampires, werewolves, and other monsters of folklore. Truthfully, Kenji had already resigned himself to his fate. "Two days to live, eh? Great…" he glumly replied to the guard.

* * *

This concludes the first chapter. Please review, and I hope that you will decide to stick with the story as it develops. I hope to have the next chapter up soon, but I don't know exactly when I'll have it up as school is back in session. Again, thanks to Silver15 for his help with this story. I look forward to working on the next chapter with you!


	2. The Second Visit

I do not own Rosario Vampire. My OC was created entirely from my own ideas (with suggestions from Silver15), and any resemblance to another OC or actual anime character is coincidental.

Note: thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter. I sincerely hope that you'll continue to follow this story and review each new installment.

* * *

It was exactly as before: the red ocean, the black forest, and the perfect weather. "Back again, huh? What a persistent dream," Kenji said to himself. "Hmm. I wonder if that building is still inaccessible to me."

With that, Kenji set off down the path that he believed had previously taken him toward the strange towers. He had not made a note of the designs of the gravestones along the trail he'd taken before, and was now wishing that he had some landmark to ensure that he was on the same path. "I guess I'll find out eventually." Kenji grumbled. He was snapped out of his foul mood by a noise that he was certain he had not heard in his previous experience here: the cawing of crows. Until now, Kenji had not even bothered to look for the birds. They were restlessly looking around for something. It was as if the crows had sensed a predator but didn't know its location. "They didn't know I was here before. Are they now able to sense my presence?" Kenji pondered as he stood in the middle of the trail. "It looks like I was wrong in thinking that nothing had changed here." Disregarding the crows' cawing as a mystery, he continued down the path, though he was now much more wary of his surroundings.

Eventually, Kenji arrived at the place where he was forced to stop last time. "It's good to know I chose the right trail." he said. The towers were visible, though they were still covered by a thick veil. "Too bad that hasn't changed." The air was not heavy like before, much to Kenji's relief. "Maybe I'll be able to get a good look at the building those towers belong to this time," he said hopefully. Kenji all but ran the rest of the way. He could not recall the last time he was so excited about something.

It was much larger than he expected, and there were uniformed teenage boys and girls walking through the front gate. "A high school here of all places?" Kenji quietly questioned. While the edifice was in overall good condition, Kenji could tell that it was old. "If it was in shambles, it would be perfect for a haunted house or a horror film," he observed. "Anyway, time to do a little investigating!" Kenji fell in with one of the groups of students heading for the front gate. None of the teenagers seemed to be even remotely aware of his presence. Kenji slowed down as he noticed two girls coming up behind the group. For a few brief moments, he had an almost uncontrollable urge to see just what he could get away with in this place. "No," he said, "I know better than this." With that Kenji almost ran through the front gate and into the school. He didn't know how long he was going to be able to resist such a temptation.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the school was listening to the end of the daily report submitted to him by his assistant, Ruby.

"That concludes my report, sir," Ruby said.

"Good work, Ruby. If that is all, you may leave," the Chairman replied.

"There is one other thing, sir."

"What would that be?"

"Yesterday there was a slight fluctuation in the barrier surrounding the school, and there was another, more severe fluctuation today. The crows were acting as if they had sensed something's presence earlier, but they did not appear to know the location of the presence."

"Hmm. That is strange news indeed."

"Would you like for me to look into the source, sir?"

"No, Ruby. I will look into to source personally. I am one of the people responsible for creating the barrier, and therefore I will have a better chance of discovering the cause."

"If that is you wish, sir. I will be leaving now."

"One more thing, Ruby: don't tell anyone about these incidents."

"Yes sir. Excuse me."

The moment Ruby left, the Chairman quickly began pulling some papers out of a hidden cabinet in his office and shuffling through them. Such a disturbance in the barrier had occurred once before, and he hoped that this would not turn out to be a disaster like last time.

Once inside, Kenji was at a loss of what to do first. It was true that he was a little depressed that the mysterious building had turned out to be a school, but that did not hinder his curiosity for a second. Its design was completely different from any other school that he had previously visited. After aimlessly wandering around for about thirty minutes, he felt he had seen most of what the strange building had to offer. Kenji was trying to find his way back to the front entrance of the school when he noticed a staircase that he had apparently overlooked. He doubted that it would lead to anywhere particularly interesting, but he decided to take the staircase regardless. Kenji eventually arrived on the roof. Just as he was sitting down to rest against the roof's low banister, the bell rang and almost immediately Kenji could hear the excited chatter of the students leaving their classrooms. He went back downstairs and watched as most of them headed in the direction of the cafeteria, which he had found in his earlier drifting through the school's interior. "Must be lunchtime," Kenji thought to himself. As he observed the students one group in particular caught his eye: there was a boy who had four girls clinging to him. "Oh? It appears to be a real modern day harem. This might be amusing to watch," Kenji chuckled as he began to follow the group of five.

Kenji was expecting to get a chance to rest at one of the tables while he did his observing, but he was very disappointed when his target group got their food and left the cafeteria. Through eavesdropping on their conversations, Kenji had learned each of the group members' names. The boy's name was Tsukune, the pink haired girl was known as Moka, the girl in the yellow sweater was Kurumu, Mizore was the one with purple hair, and the youngest of the four girls was Yukari. "No rest for the weary, I suppose," Kenji sighed as he followed Tsukune and his harem out of the cafeteria. As they left the cafeteria, he failed to notice a red-haired girl looking at the group with a confident, determined visage.

As his target group sat down to eat in the courtyard, Kenji found a very comfortable spot nearby where he could sit against a wall. Tsukune and his friends were busy discussing ideas for the next issue of the school newspaper, and Kenji was wrapped up in his own thoughts. "Really," he muttered, "of all the places to find a harem, it had to be a boring newspaper club. To top it off, they haven't even done anything remotely entertaining. Perhaps harems are not as great as what they are made out to be." After he had rested to his satisfaction, Kenji stood up and walked in the direction of the school's front gate. He'd had enough of the students' dull chatter, and he felt that his time would be better spent by exploring more of the forest surrounding the school.

Kenji had been wandering through the forest for what had to have been hours. After leaving the path leading to the school, he had failed to take note of any landmarks and he was now thoroughly lost. He had taken several turns in his inspection of the woods so retracing his steps was out of the question. It was already growing dark and Kenji's vision was becoming steadily more impaired as time progressed, which only added to his frustration. Eventually he found a seat on a gravestone. It didn't matter where within the forest he went: there was always a headstone to be seen. The tombstone that Kenji was sitting on was in a most convenient location. It was at the foot of a large tree, similar to a backed chair. By the time night finally settled in the forest, Kenji was fast asleep.

A deep rumbling, along with the sound of splintering wood, startled Kenji out of his sleep. He did not quite know the cause of the noise, but he was sure of one thing: it wasn't thunder. Kenji heard the sound again, but this time it was much closer. "This is probably going to be dangerous," he thought to himself, "but now that I'm wide awake, I might as well learn the reason for this commotion so late at night." With that, he headed off in the direction of the disturbance.

It didn't take Kenji long to reach the source, though he found the cause of the uproar very hard to believe. Large thick trees were toppled over on their sides, and splinters of wood covered the ground. Standing in the middle of the carnage were six students, five of which Kenji immediately recognized as Tsukune and his friends. The remaining student was a young red haired girl with a large spiked club in her hands. "Spiked club or not, there's just no way these students did all this damage," Kenji thought. "Better yet, why does she even have a club like that? That has to be illegal, even in this world!"

"I want my sister back!" the young girl shouted. With that, she lunged at the group of five.

"Tsukune, take off my rosary!" Moka urgently shouted.

Kenji could barely keep from roaring with laughter. She, Tsukune, and the rest of her friends were about to die, and the only thing she could think of was to tell someone to take off her rosary. "If you're going to die, it would be a good idea to leave it on and say a quick prayer," Kenji said. "Of course, the better course of action would be to try dodging!" As soon as he had finished voicing his thoughts, the rosary around Moka's neck was pulled off of its chain.

A dark energy engulfed the entire area, the likes of which Kenji had never felt before. "What is this?" he stammered. Before his very eyes, Moka was covered in what appeared to be black bats. "This keeps getting stranger by the second!" As the bats fell off of Moka, Kenji noticed that her hair was no longer pink, but silver. Her eyes were no longer green, but red. As she gritted her teeth at her foe, Kenji could see fangs. "That girl matches the definition of a vampire perfectly, but that just isn't possible! Monsters do not exist! They are only myths made to scare the gullible!" As he took a closer look at his surroundings, he noticed that the sky and moon were red and the ocean was purple. "Maybe the moon is red due to a lunar eclipse?" Kenji said hopefully as he desperately sought to scientifically explain these phenomena. "Yes, that has to be it!" His attention was brought back to the students as he heard someone speaking. He was shocked to find that it was Moka. "Whoa, her voice got deeper!"

"That's enough Kokoa. If you do not stop now, I will not hold back!" the silver haired Moka said with narrowed eyes.

"Sister…" Kokoa said as she came to a sudden halt. Within a matter of seconds the red haired girl threw her arms around Moka and was hugging her tightly. "Sister, I missed you so much!"

"You just had every intention of killing me, Kokoa."

"Yeah, that weak and useless pink haired Moka could not possibly be my sister!"

After a few moments of this excessive show of affection by Kokoa, Moka had run out of patience. One quick kick was all it took to send the young girl flying. "It's one thing to do that to some random person who is trying to harm you, but to your own sister?" Kenji said in disbelief.

After the fight, if it could be called that, Kenji focused his attention back to Moka. This version of her had a certain charm that the other lacked. "Well, I am invisible," he snickered. His self restraint had been worn out by the day's events, and even if it had not been completely exhausted, he was not sure that he would be able to forego this opportunity. He walked up to Moka and groped her, not believing that he was actually going to get away with this.

Moka was blushing profusely and acting very strange. "What's wrong Moka?" Tsukune asked, concerned.

"I'm…not sure," she responded. "I've just got this…feeling."

The others saw it at the same moment as Moka. A single hand appeared out of nowhere, and was currently groping her chest. "What's up with that hand?" Tsukune said in a rather high, shocked voice.

"Don't like someone messing with one of your harem, eh, Tsukune?" Kenji laughed. "Wait, they can see me?" he said as he started to panic. He quickly released his hold of Moka and tried to run deeper into the forest. He did not get far, as his hand was in Moka's steel grip within a matter of moments.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "Fine, I'll just slowly break each and every one of your fingers until you answer my question," she said after only a few seconds.

Kenji was wide eyed with horror as he watched the silver haired girl prepare to break one of his fingers. Just as she began to bend the finger back, however, Kenji woke up.

Tsukune and his friends were thoroughly confused. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the hand vanished without a trace and Moka was left gripping thin air. "What was that about?" Tsukune questioned.

"I don't know Tsukune, but I don't like this," Moka said.

"What should we do?"

"I think we should report this to the Chairman," Yukari suggested.

The remainder of the group agreed and they were soon on their way to the Chairman's office.

Meanwhile, within his office, the Chairman had found the document that had been eluding him for the entire day. "Hmm. The occurrences are similar, but not exactly the same. These recent events may be something else entirely," he said. "It looks like I'll be doing some fieldwork after all."

Kenji shot up from his prison bed with a start. He slowly examined his fingers just to make sure they were all still in one piece. "Either that is a steadily developing, incredibly realistic nightmare," he said, "or it is not a dream at all."

The guard came to the door after hearing sudden movement within his prisoner's cell. "Oh, so you're awake," he said. "I didn't want to disturb your peaceful slumber, but now that you are up, do you want to hear something absolutely amazing?" he asked excitedly.

Something was definitely wrong: the guard had never been this excited or nice before. "Is the news as great as last time, sir?" Kenji replied in a mocking voice.

"No, no! It's far better! It turns out I'm going to get to kill you tomorrow morning: much earlier than expected!" The guard then proceeded to tell his helpless prisoner exactly how he planned to perform the execution, followed by a long list of various tortures that were going to precede the main event.

"Something tells me I'm going to like that dream world before the night is over," Kenji groaned as the guard continued his rambling in the background.

* * *

This concludes the second chapter. Please review, and I hope that you will decide to stick with the story as it develops. I hope to have the next chapter up soon, but I don't know exactly when I'll have it up as school is back in session. Again, thanks to Silver15 for his help with this story. I look forward to working on the next chapter with you!


	3. The Transfer

I do not own Rosario Vampire. My OC was created entirely from my own ideas (with suggestions from Silver15), and any resemblance to another OC or actual anime character is coincidental. As always, I hope you find this chapter to your liking and any constructive criticism/review is greatly appreciated.

* * *

Kenji awoke to the sounds of slamming doors and slow, heavy footsteps. He had barely slept at all last night, though he did not quite understand the reason behind his restlessness. He thought that he had already resigned himself to the fate that awaited him, but if that was the case he should not have had any trouble sleeping. "Instinct over reason, eh?" he muttered as he listened to the footsteps grow gradually louder and more pronounced. "Well in any event it's all going to be over soon enough."

Fifteen minutes later the guard was standing in front of Kenji's cell. "You sure took your time" Kenji said so the man.

"No reason to rush good things. It ruins the mood and," he paused, "I'm going to make sure I savor this." As he said this, the guard was almost shaking with anticipation.

"You know, I would calm down if I were you. It'd be such a shame to see you die of a heart attack before my execution."

"Dream on, kid" the guard laughed. "Though I have to say I'm surprised to see that you still have enough will left for sarcasm."

"Life is full of surprises" Kenji retorted.

"Really? I find it pretty cut and dry most of the time" the guard said as he bound Kenji's hands and proceeded to lead him to the torture chambers.

The torture session was long and brutal. Every time Kenji passed out, the guard would stop, find a way to make him regain consciousness, and then continue where he left off. Initially he used the more common techniques such as "the rack," but he soon began using his "house specials." A normal being would not have been able to—nor would he have wanted to—invent such methods. The guard was careful to leave Kenji alive for the actual execution, though he made sure that his helpless captive was on the brink of death before transporting him to the capital grounds.

It was a short trip to the guillotine, seeing as the guard decided to take the elevator rather than drag a barely alive prisoner up multiple sets of stairs. From that point onward everything went as one would expect: Kenji's head was placed under the blade and the executioner stood awaiting the signal to release the rope. Kenji was sure that the last thing he saw would be the guard's excited smile and gleaming eyes. However, a man suddenly ran up and whispered something to the executioner, then to the guard.

"What? You have got to be joking" the guard said in disbelief.

"No, I am not joking" the messenger replied.

"Why should this prisoner receive special treatment?"

"I do not know the reason, but this is what the council has ordered. Besides," the messenger smirked, "has the captive not already been given 'special treatment' by you?"

"Keep talking and I'll make sure you get it next."

"My, aren't you the threatening figure? Still, do you intend on disregarding the council's judgment? I am sure that you already know that such an action would be most…unwise."

"No, I will follow orders. I know full well what will happen if I do not."

"Good man! Now, I recommend that you hurry and escort him to the assigned location. Not only will the council be getting impatient, but after overhearing our conversation I am sure the prisoner is dying to know what is going on," the messenger said with a nod in Kenji's direction.

With that, the guard removed Kenji from the guillotine and, accompanied by the messenger, the three left for the cremation rooms on the lowest level of the compound.

It took a while to reach the destination, even when using the elevator. There was no way to tell exactly how long it took to descend so many floors, though if Kenji had to guess he would say probably around twenty to thirty minutes. Over the course of the past ten years, he had never been to the bottom level. Of course, during his time employed by the organization he had been a field agent, so there was really no reason for him to be down there anyway.

The minute the elevator doors opened, the occupants were shocked to find that the cremation level was nothing like what they imagined. Instead of a blazing inferno with the stench of burning flesh permeating throughout the place, the scene was more like a science lab. There were white walls, men dressed in white lab coats, and a control panel in the center of the room. Directly across from the elevator taking up the top half of one wall was a large high definition television screen. The television itself was the only thing that added color to the virtually colorless space. On the screen was a real-time video of the cremation room, which had a pure white interior except for one black chair in the center.

In a matter of moments the trio was approached by one of the cremation specialists. "This is Kenji, I presume?" he asked in a dry, raspy voice.

"That is correct. Now would you please be so kind as to inform the council that the prisoner has arrived?" the messenger replied.

The specialist walked over to the control panel and picked up a phone. It took less than a minute for him to be patched through to the council chambers. "I did not know it was possible to be connected to the council that quickly" Kenji said in disbelief.

"Well, that is because it's a direct line to the council rooms. Only the cremation level has such access, as we are under the direct control of the counselors" a nearby specialist said.

This perked Kenji's interest. "I do not suppose you know why the council would concern itself with my fate?"

"That is what I would like to know!" the guard grumpily exclaimed. "Cremation is less satisfying than decapitation."

"I am sorry, but I know nothing. Actually, I do not think that any employee within this department—other than possibly the chief himself—knows why Kenji has been brought here rather than meeting his end on the execution grounds."

"Whatever. Let's just terminate the kid and be done with it" the guard said resignedly.

"Very well, this way please" the specialist said as he walked over to the entrance of the cremation room.

It was only a matter of moments before Kenji was bound to the chair in the center of the cell and awaiting the activation of the fiery vortex that would be his end. "What, you were serious about getting rid of me quickly? I was under the impression that we had become good friends" Kenji said sarcastically to the guard as he turned to leave the room.

The guard turned and opened his mouth as if he was going to give a retort. However, no words came and he simply stared at Kenji with that idiotic expression for a few moments before closing the door behind him.

"Well, I do believe that this is the first time I have ever seen that man at a loss for words." Just then an intercom crackled into life. The person on the other end was clearly using a voice changer to hide his identity.

"Kenji Hiraku, you have been sentenced to termination by fire. If you have any last words, speak them now."

"Let's get this over with already. You people have already shown that you have no intention of listening to what I have to say anyway."

A brief pause passed before there was any reply.

"Very well, the execution shall proceed immediately. Prepare yourself, Kenji Hiraku."

The moment the sentence ended, Kenji heard the furnaces roar into life. He was no longer afraid. On the contrary: he was the calmest he had been in a long while. His only regret was that he would not be able to take revenge against those who were unjustly going to kill him. As this thought ran through his head, mechanical doors in the wall flew open and Kenji watched as the flames crawled up from the depths of the narrow chutes. Suddenly, he heard a different voice from before. At first Kenji thought the source was from the intercom, but he soon realized that the voice was not coming from any of his surroundings but rather it was inside of his head.

"Great, I'm going insane right before I die" Kenji muttered.

"I would not say that you have lost your sanity" the voice said. "At any rate, if I told you there was a way to survive this, would you pursue it?'

_It sounds to me like there's a catch_, Kenji thought.

"Well, there are consequences to every action. You're a little short on time at the moment, so a simple answer of either yes or no will suffice."

"That is a very suspicious statement. I cannot answer if you do not tell me about the consequences in detail. I do not even know who you are. Wait, how do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Who I am and how I know your thoughts share the same answer: I am you. Now, your decision!"

"Very well. I accept. It will give me a chance for revenge at any rate."

By now the flames were already upon Kenji. As the fire engulfed him, he shut his eyes and wore a grim smile on his lips.

_Being burned to death should induce at least a little pain, right?_, Kenji thought_. So why is it that I feel nothing? Am I already dead?_

"No, you are not dead. Open your eyes already."

Kenji obediently opened his eyes, and was shocked to find himself in the same place that he had been dreaming about for the past few nights. In front of him was the red sea, to his left was the forest, and beyond the forest he was sure was the school.

"My last act was to dream of this place once more?" Kenji moaned.

"You are not dead, imbecile! This is not a dream!"

"Oh, you're still here? The one who says that he is actually me? If this is not a dream, how did we get here?"

"I am you. If you cannot comprehend this simple fact, there is no way that you will understand how we got here."

"So, perhaps you will be willing to tell me more about these consequences now that we've got a little more time?"

"Certainly...when there is nobody around to witness you talking to yourself. It might give people the wrong impression."

Kenji had not realized that he had been talking aloud, nor had he noticed the man in a hooded white robe standing not far behind him.

"Hello," the man said, "I have been expecting you. I am the Chairman of Yokai Academy. Let's go somewhere where we can talk."


	4. The Office

Note: The voice of Kenji's inner self is represented by italics. As always, constructive reviews are appreciated.

* * *

The man's office was not quite how Kenji imagined it would be organized. He had always known administration officials to have very bland rooms, with hardly anything that could draw a person's attention. It wasn't surprising that there was a large bookshelf covering the entire left wall, full of thick books that appeared to be quite complicated. However, throughout the room were golden figurines, a mysterious mirror, and numerous other things that Kenji could not identify on display in clear view. He wanted to walk around and examine everything, but felt it best to remain focused. It was more important to gather information about his situation and the world in which he currently resided. Directly across from the door was a desk of medium size with a few texts stacked neatly on both sides.

"Just a moment," the man said, "I'll get a chair for you." He walked to his desk and stood behind it. "Ruby," he called, "please bring in a chair for our guest."

In a few minutes a young woman with black hair and violet eyes walked in carrying a wooden chair. "Here is the chair you requested, Chairman. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, Ruby. That will be all. Please be sure that we are not disturbed, and nobody is to know about our visitor."

"Yes sir, I'll be taking my leave now." As she left she glanced at Kenji, trying to gather as much information about him as possible.

Once the door had fully closed, the man gestured for Kenji to have a seat. As his guest sat across from him, he said, "That was my assistant, Ruby Toujou."

Kenji made no response, but merely nodded. He wanted to get the information and leave as soon as possible. There was no explanation for it, but the man made him uneasy.

"Well then, let's begin. I'm sure you have a lot of questions that you would like for me to answer. First, however, I'd like to ask your name" the man said.

"Kenji." He wanted to avoid giving any unnecessary information.

"What is your last name, Kenji?"

"Hiraku" he grudgingly replied.

The Chairman could tell Kenji was hiding something, but decided to wait until the end of their conversation to say anything.

"What questions do you have for me, Mr. Hiraku?"

"First of all, who are you and where is this?"

"I am the Chairman of Youkai Academy, Mikogami Tenmei, and this is Youkai Academy."

"Where is Youkai Academy exactly?"

"That's a rather complex question to answer. Officially we are located in Japan, but technically we are not."

"I'm not interested in such inconclusive answers. Be straightforward with me."

"We are in another dimension than that of the human world."

"Don't tell me such nonsense. I've had more than enough of that from him."

"Him?" the Chairman asked inquisitively.

_My answers were not nonsense. You simply have too little intelligence to understand. _.

"Stop acting like you're superior to me!" Kenji shouted in rage.

_I am superior to you. There is no need to act. Oh by the way, you're speaking out loud again. _

There was a long silence following Kenji's outburst. Kenji sat barely able to contain his rage, while the Chairman observed the situation. He already had an idea of what was going on. Eventually Kenji calmed down and his tension eased.

"Sorry, that wasn't directed at you."

"You know," Mikogami said lightheartedly, "if you continue to talk to yourself, you're going to have a lot of people avoiding you."

_I believe I already told you that._

Kenji once again tensed up, and the Chairman did not fail to notice.

"How did you arrive here, Kenji? Only certain people are allowed to enter this dimension, and I would have been informed if we were going to be getting a transfer student."

_Make something up: you must not tell him about us. You sense it too, right? This man is…untrustworthy._

"For once we're in agreement" Kenji thought to himself. Then, to the Chairman, "I honestly don't know."

"It's not going to help either of us if you continue to lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

As Kenji said this, Mikogami noted Kenji's defensive tone. He could tell that his guest was not going to say anymore about the topic, and dropped the subject.

"You seem very tired. Am I correct in assuming that you do not have a place to stay?"

"That's right." Even if there were hotels nearby, Kenji didn't have any money to pay for lodging.

"Normally this wouldn't be allowed, but considering the circumstances you may stay in the dorms if you wish. There is a room available that currently has only one resident."

"I think it'd be best to take up his offer. I do need a place to stay tonight, after all" Kenji quickly thought to his inner self.

_Then accept his proposal, but let's be sure that there aren't any hidden obligations first. _

"What's the catch? I have no money to pay you for lodging, and it has been my experience that everything in life comes at a price."

"This is a very straightforward deal, Mr. Hiraku. There are no strings attached."

A brief moment passed before Kenji replied, "Very well, I accept your offer." This was a very suspicious arrangement, and it had been his experience that anything appearing too good to be true often was.

"Your roommate's name is Tsukune Aono. Ruby, please show this man to his room."

In a matter of seconds the Chairman's assistant entered the room, ready to accompany Kenji to the boy's dorm. Kenji couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't been by the door eavesdropping on the conversation the entire time. As he got up to leave, an important thought crossed his mind.

"What am I supposed to do tomorrow?" Kenji asked the Chairman. "This is a school after all, so won't it draw my roommate's attention if I don't go?"

"I don't think it will be much of an issue. Do you wish to attend the academy, Mr. Hiraku?"

"No, I have no desire to be a student. However, I'd like to tour and observe the place if at all possible."

"Have you found something that interests you here?"

"Of course not: this is the first time I've seen this place after all." Kenji could tell that the Chairman was once again prying for information, and he wasn't about to fall for the trap.

"Well then, I hope you enjoy yourself tomorrow, Mr. Hiraku. We'll speak again soon." With this Mikogami gave a nod to Ruby.

"This way, please" Ruby said politely. As Kenji followed her out of the room, the Chairman decided to say one last thing.

"Just a moment, Mr. Hiraku."

Kenji paused and glanced over his shoulder at Mikogami.

"Our conversation today and the details surrounding your stay here is to be kept between us. Also," he added, "it would be best if you did not keep secrets from me."

Kenji nodded and continued to follow the man's assistant. "Just how much does he know, anyway?" Kenji thought.

_I'm wondering that too. He says not to keep secrets from him, but he is keeping some things to himself as well, isn't he? At any rate, for now we should focus on preventing him from learning anything else about us._

"Agreed."


	5. Moving In

Note: Sorry, had to revise this and reupload it. I had some spelling and grammar mistakes in the previous version.

Note: Inner Kenji is represented by _**bold italics**_, and Kenji's regular thoughts/conversations with his inner self are represented by _italics_. Sorry it took me so long to update, but I really only get a chance to work on this weekends and holidays.

Please Review!

* * *

The walk to the dorms proved to be uneventful. All the students were in class and there was not much to see. Ruby had tried several times to initiate a conversation, but Kenji was inwardly reviewing his meeting with Mikogami and proved to be incapable of doing anything but grunting or shaking his head in response to her questions. As a result, almost the entire trip was made without either of the two saying anything.

"This is Tsukune Aono's room" Ruby said brightly as she came to a stop in front of a dorm door. "Classes end at 3:45, so it will be a while before he arrives. Here is the key to the room."

Kenji grunted and took the key. Was it just his imagination, or had she become more cheerful when she mentioned Tsukune? Unlocking the door, he went inside and was disappointed to see a very plain room. He was expecting posters or decoration of some description, but there was practically nothing in the entire area other than two beds-one of which appeared as if it had never been used- a desk with a few books and papers on top, and a window of decent size.

"If you need anything please to not hesitate to ask. The bathrooms are located down the hall and to the right. Mikogami has granted you permission to observe classes tomorrow, so please enjoy yourself."

"Thanks" Kenji muttered before shutting the door and sticking the key in his pocket. He then took off his shoes, threw himself on the unused bed, and stretched out comfortably. If there was one thing that he had learned from his travels, it was to never take beds for granted.

_**Are you still evaluating your conversation with the Chairman?**_

_No, I've given up on that endeavor. I can't find any clues pertaining to how much he knows regardless of how much I assess the meeting._

_**An acceptable decision. How do you feel about having Tsukune Aono as a roommate?**_

_It's a bit ironic. When I observed him before the execution I thought he was an interesting person, and now we're going to be sharing a dorm room._

_**It could be ironic, but it could also be planned as well. At any rate, I'm tired so I'll be going to sleep. I recommend you do the same. **_

Now that he thought about it, Kenji realized he was the most exhausted he'd been in a long time. It was to be expected, considering everything that had occurred since last night. Until now, he had been alert simply because of an adrenaline rush. As he dozed off, Kenji briefly considered what his inner self had just said. It was by no means a comforting statement. The thought quickly left him however as he was pulled into a deep sleep.

XXXXXXX

A few hours had passed since Kenji had succumbed to his weariness. The bell announcing the end of the school day had just rung, and all the students were leaving the school for their dorms. It was only a few moments after Tsukune Aono had left the school that he heard someone behind him call him name. He turned, just in time to see a brief flash of yellow and have his face smothered in Kurumu's chest. This suffocation was a daily occurrence, as was the following scene of Kurumu being forcefully removed by Moka, Yukari, and Mizore. He remembered when he first came the academy, not knowing anyone, and when he'd made his first friend-Moka-after being bowled over from behind by her on a bicycle. Yukari, Kurumu, and Mizore were befriended later, each with their own unique story. These made him truly glad he had come to Youkai Academy. However, it was because these girls were his friends-especially Moka and Kurumu-that complications with the other male students arose.

"Bastard, get away from Moka!" one student shouted as he walked up and sent a malevolent glare at Tsukune.

"Kurumu too!" said another as he joined the first.

Soon there were five guys surrounding Tsukune and his friends, each with a crush on either Moka, Yukari, Kurumu, or Mizore. Tsukune sighed: this was also a daily occurrence, though the scale of the fight varied depending on the aggressor and the situation. All the youkai at the academy were supposed to maintain their human forms according to the rules, but it seemed that everyone either didn't care or found some way around it. As the five males transformed, he was surprised to discover that all of them were cyclops. It was rare to fight the several of the same species of youkai at the same time. Cyclops were not very intelligent and were slow, but they did have strength and their size allowed them to be able to take a good deal of damage. Tsukune wasn't sure how effective Mizore, Kurumu, and Yukari would be against these opponents.

"Tsukune, take off my rosary" Moka said as she moved closer to him. As he reached to grasp the metal cross, however, one of the cyclops threw a punch at the two of them, forcing them to separate and preventing the removal of the rosary.

"That's not going to happen" said the cyclops that threw the punch. "Let's see how well that vampire fares when she's sealed!" Then, to the other cyclops, he said, "I'll take the vampire, you guys handle the rest." Three of the other cyclops charged Yukari, Kurumu, and Mizore. They weren't trying to kill them, but they were fighting hard enough to prevent any interference. A fourth ran straight toward Tsukune.

"Now then," the cyclops said to Moka, "let's begin."

XXXXXXX

Kenji was startled awake by a loud noise and a small tremor, followed shortly thereafter by another. He could hear a few of the students in the hallway, and so he assumed that school had ended for the day. Still, the disturbance did not come from the dorm buildings, but instead from the direction of the school. Kenji had never been one to take being awoken without good reason lightly, and the fact that he was so tired make him angrier still. He sat on the edge of the bed, quickly put his shoes back on, and flew out of the room in the direction of the commotion. If there was some sort of accident at the school he would do what he could to assist, but it someone was doing this on purpose they were going be pay for it.

The students in the dorm hallway were surprised to see a door open and a boy with a rather angry visage run past them.

"Hey, isn't that Tsukune Aono's room? I thought he didn't have a roommate" one stammered to his friend.

"Yeah, Aono doesn't have a roomate" his friend replied.

"Then, who was that?"

"No idea."

XXXXXXX

It took all Tsukune could do to dodge his opponent's attack. Kurumu and Mizore and transformed, and along with Yukari, they were holding their own. It was Moka that he was worried about. She was still strong in her sealed form, but that wouldn't be enough to defeat a cyclops. He needed to get to her and remove her rosary, but there was no way that was going to happen when he'd have to go through two cyclops to do it. Tsukune risked a quick look in Moka's direction, just in time to see her opponent launch a punch that we was almost positive would connect.

"Moka, look out!" he shouted as he dodged yet another of his opponent's attacks.

Moka shut her eyes as she braced herself for the blow, but never came. Instead she heard a loud thud and looked up to see her younger sister Kokoa standing next to where the cyclops was laying on the ground, a large spiked hammer in her hand.

"What do you think you're doing? Hurry up and release my sister!" Kokoa shouted, looking down at the pink haired girl.

Tsukune wasn't sure when Kokoa had arrived, but he was glad that she did. Now he only needed to get past one cyclops to get to Moka and remove the rosary. Tsukune ran for where Moka was standing, but he didn't get far. His opponent brought down a punch that sent him flying against the trunk of a nearby tree. As Tsukune staggered to his feet, the cyclops was already standing before him, ready to deliver one final attack.

"Tsukune!" Moka shouted as she tried to run to his aid. Kokoa turned to charge the cyclops, but the one that she'd just knocked down had already regained his senses and towered over her.

"Where do you think you're going?" the enraged cyclops asked in a menacing tone. "You think you can come out of nowhere, lay someone out, and get away with it? I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget, little girl!"

It was too late. Neither Moka nor Kokoa could reach Tsukune in time, as the cyclops before Tsukune brought down a bone shattering punch. When the dust cleared, all Kokoa and Moka could see was a crater where Tsukune had been just a moment before.

"Tsukune!" Moka cried. Mizore, Yukari, and Kurumu stopped fighting to see what had happened, and from the scene in front of their eyes they could guess the truth. Monster auras surged from each girl, and even Moka's seal was bypassed due to her emotions. As they prepared to launch a brutal, deadly revenge upon the five cyclops, Tsukune appeared from behind a tree not far from Moka and Kokoa.

The five girls were bewildered and relieved to see him uninjured. However, they were not going to forgive their opponents for trying to kill Tsukune.

"Tsukune? But how?" the transformed Moka asked in confusion.

"I'm not sure" he replied, just a puzzled as everyone else.

"I'm assuming you guys are the root of this disturbance?" Kenji questioned the cyclops in a polite manner with a smile on his face. Behind that smile and politeness was the wrath of a demon. Tsukune and his friends, as well as the five cyclops, were all shocked to see a boy standing in the middle of the carnage. Even though he was in the middle of all of them, nobody had noticed his arrival.

"So what if we are, punk?" one of the cyclops responded.

"Punk? First of all, if you're going to act tough, try to pick a better adjective. Secondly, even though I'm against violence, if you are you're in for a lot of pain."

"I'd like to see you try! Kill him, guys!" the cyclops shouted. None of the other cyclops moved an inch.

"What's going on?" Kurumu asked as she and her friends looked at the five motionless cyclops. Kenji casually strode up and lightly poked the side of one of the cyclops' legs with his index finger. With a sickening crunch the legs buckled, and the monster let out a cry of pain as he crashed face down into the ground. Kenji repeated the process for the remaining four cyclops.

"Since this is your first offense and I am new here, I will let this incident go with only this level of punishment. However, understand that if this happens again the repercussions will be much more severe."

_**Such a basic attack. You really aren't going to make this entertaining, are you?**_

_Oh, you're awake? Anyway, it's my first day here so I don't think I should be too rough on them._

_**Who could sleep with all that racket? And shattering all the bones in one of their legs isn't considered "too rough"? **_

_I've done worse. However, maybe I did get a little carried away._

"Well then, I'm off. Take it easy" Kenji said to Tsukune and his friends as he began to walk away.

"Wait! Were you the one who saved me?" Tsukune asked.

"Yes."

"Thank you, uh, what was your name?"

"Kenji. Listen, it's been a long day and I'm in no mood to chat. I'll see you later, Tsukune Aono." Kenji walked behind a patch of trees and disappeared from sight.

"I wonder what he meant by 'I'll see you later'. And how did he know my name?" Turning back to his friends, Tsukune said, "It's getting late, so I'll be going to the dorm now. See you guys tomorrow."

XXXXXXX

Tsukune was so surprised to see someone in his room that he let out a small yelp and jumped back into the hallway. Turning from the window, Kenji said, "Hello, I've been expecting you. It's funny, I am tired but that commotion earlier is preventing me from sleeping."

"You're that guy from earlier!" Tsukune almost shouted.

"What, you're forgotten my name already? It's Kenji, Kenji Hiraku. Even though we've already met, nice to meet you. Anyway, starting today I will be your roommate for a while."

"I'm Tsukune Aono. Nice to meet you as well."


End file.
